Michelle Yeoh kicks ass this month
As she reaches new heights of acclaim for her dazzling, Oscar-nominated performance in the breakout smash Everything Everywhere All at Once, now is the perfect time to revisit the sensational career of Michelle Yeoh.
Much like her character Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Michelle Yeoh has become an unstoppable force on the 2023 awards circuit, snagging many trophies for her portrayal of an unlikely multiverse blazing super hero, with her latest being the coveted SAG Awards. On Sunday night at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Yeoh won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, becoming the first Asian woman to win in that category.
Now, the Criterion Channel is rising to the occasion and reminding you just where this talent came from and what she has done before as an oft-unsung female action hero and dramatic heroine. March on the Criterion Channel, which is also Women’s History Month of course, features eight films featuring the Oscar-nominated star, including her most popular Western performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in her pivotal role as Yu Shu Lien.
Enjoy this nail-biting scene:
Before conquering Hollywood this year and going up against the likes of Oscar winner Cate Blanchett (who you can watch fan girl over Yeoh in the clip below), the Malaysian-born actor established herself as one of Hong Kong cinema’s fiercest action heroes—performing whirlwind martial-arts choreography with an acrobatic grace that reflected her early training as a dancer.
Whether executing superhero stunts in Johnnie To’s action classic The Heroic Trio or taking the wuxia genre to new heights of international success in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which was directed by Ang Lee who went on to Brokeback Mountain fame, Yeoh commands the screen with astonishing power and charisma. Here are the eight films screening this month:
Yes, Madam!, Corey Yuen, 1985
Royal Warriors, David Chung, 1986
Magnificent Warriors, David Chung, 1987
Police Story 3: Supercop, Stanley Tong, 1992
The Heroic Trio, Johnnie To, 1993
Executioners, Johnnie To and Ching Siu-tung, 1993
The Stunt Woman, Ann Hui, 1996
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee, 2000
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